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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

Exercise-Induced Muscle Cramps: Causes & Prevention

Posted November 17th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

Exercisers are often told that muscle cramps are caused by lack of salt (sodium) or low potassium. However, recent studies show that athletes in endurance events who suffer cramps usually have normal sodium and potassium levels.

A review of the current literature from Buenos Aires, Argentina shows that doctors don’t know very much about exercise-induced muscle cramps (Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, July 2007).

The most common cause appears to be muscle damage. Athletes may be able to prevent cramps by slowing down when they feel the muscle pulling and tightening, and picking up the pace only when the muscle feels good again.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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Coping With Muscle Cramps

Posted October 18th, 2007 at 8:44 AM by Katie Drummond

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

What are Muscle Cramps?

Cramps are defined as involuntary, forced and prolonged contraction of a part of a muscle, a whole muscle or group of muscles. Compared to spasm, cramps are more forceful and sustained. The usual mechanism of muscles is to alternately contract and relax to facilitate movement. Those muscles that are involved in gross or fine motor movements are mostly voluntary, which means that they move at will.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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Avoiding muscle cramps

Posted September 19th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Shannon Clark

Section: Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

One of the worst things that can happen to you during a workout is to be halfway through and then get a terrible muscle cramp. This is a regular occurrence for some however, particularly runners who try and exercise after eating a meal.

By paying attention to the foods you are eating before this occurs however you should be able to see a trend with regards to what foods give you issues and which don’t.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HesFit.com

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Got Cramps?
Check Your Salt Intake

Posted August 31st, 2007 at 8:10 AM by Katie Drummond

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Nutrition, Hydration, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

The most common cause of muscle cramps in exercisers is lack of salt, according to a report from the University of Oklahoma (Sports Medicine, April-May 2007).

The authors cite studies of tennis and football players showing that crampers tend to be salty sweaters, and of triathletes who cramp losing more salt during a race than peers who did not cramp. They found that intravenous saline can reverse cramping, and that more salt in the diet or in sports drinks can help to prevent heat cramping.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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Marathon Cramps: Part II

Posted June 15th, 2007 at 7:15 PM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Nutrition, Hydration, Training Tips

Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor. Make sure to also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.

If you have found a regimen to avoid cramps during a marathon that works for you, stick with it. Don’t listen to the “naysayers” who try to tell you that you are doing something wrong or unnecessary.

I found a regimen that stopped my marathon cramps after suffering them in several races. It wasn’t simply one “silver bullet”. But a combination of factors.

I believe that the primary cause of cramps during a marathon is over running it … trying to run a pace that you truly aren’t prepared for. Obviously, the solution(s) for that is (are) more intensive training and/or better race planning and/or execution.

However, assuming that you are adequately trained for your race plan and that you execute your plan properly, then I also believe that there are other factors that come into play, especially when you are running “on the edge”. These “other factors” include your potassium and sodium stores going into the race and the intake of electrolytes during the race.
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